In efforts to improve the overall customer experience offered by its drivers in South Africa, e-taxi platform Bolt has introduced in-app driver scores and driver trip sharing features.
According to a statement, the new features form part of Bolt’s strategy to improve the quality and safety of drivers on the platform, giving them more control over their ride performance.
The driver score feature is a transparent metric that allows drivers to understand their performance better, encourages improvements in drivers’ habits and helps them offer the best rider experience.
Previously, only riders could rate drivers, based on the customer experience they received.
Earlier this year, Bolt riders ran an online petition, urging the company to adequately vet its drivers. This after a girl was allegedly raped by a Bolt driver, who was later arrested and charged with two counts of rape.
The driver trip-sharing feature, according to Bolt, adds an extra layer of safety for drivers. It will allow them to share a link with their real-time journey information.
The link can then be shared by e-mail, SMS, or via instant messaging apps, and enables any third-party with access to the link to track and follow the driver’s ride status and location in real-time.
Takura Malaba, country manager for Bolt SA, explains: “Drivers are core to our business, so we constantly innovate to improve their experience on our platform. We believe that drivers want to offer excellent services to riders.
“With the driver score feature, drivers can get constant feedback about their performance, which will help them improve. On the other hand, the driver trip sharing function will deter people with potentially malicious intent against drivers on the Bolt platform. Overall, riders have the best chances of being paired with a driver who is committed to high-quality service.”
This week, Bolt rival Uber South Africa also introduced a new feature to beef up security, with the debut of its in-app audio-recording feature. The function enables riders and drivers to record the trip for evidence collection, in the case of a safety incident.
The past few years have seen e-hailing drivers holding nationwide protests across all provinces, urging government to intervene in the increasing spate of crimes they are subjected to. In other cases, riders have expressed concerns over their safety, with some even being allegedly robbed or raped by ride-hailing drivers.
In 2018, Chinese e-hailing firm DiDi Chuxing also introduced an in-car safety function following the alleged murders of two female passengers by DiDi drivers.
According to Bolt, the link generated with the driver trip sharing feature is valid for the duration of the current ride. Drivers must issue a new link for every ride if they feel it necessary to do so. Previously, only customers could share their ride-related information with friends and family.
The driver score, notes the company, is calculated off the last 100 trips performed by a driver. By default, a driver starts with the maximum possible score of 100 “good” trips. This score will decrease if the app picks up behaviour against good practices or harmful towards the rider.
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